5/08/2012

When I was younger, my grandmother used to let me drink cranberry juice from a 'special' glass when we would have lunch together. When the makers of Simply Cranberry Cocktail asked me to host a gathering featuring their new cranberry cocktail, I knew a lunch with fancy glasses was just the thing.

I had my family try out the new Simply Cranberry Cocktail ahead of time. My kids love cranberry juice, and they all agreed, as I did, that you could taste the difference between Simply Cranberry Cocktail and other cranberry cocktails. I am sure it has to do with the fact that it is made with not-from-concentrate cranberry juice, has no added preservatives, and is kept chilled from the time it's blended until you pick it out of the refrigerated section of your grocery store, but my kids don't really care why it tastes better, they just enjoy the mix of sweet and tart that makes for one great glass of cranberry juice cocktail.

In preparation for my lunch, one I invited some of my blogging friends to enjoy with me, I used Simply Cranberry Cocktail to make one of my favorite recipes, cranberry chicken. I made extra and used the left overs to make a yummy cranberry chicken salad for our luncheon. I will share the recipe for both of those with you later this week.

The menu also included some of my favorite salads!! A mixed berry salad, orzo and arugula salad, and a mandarin avocado salad. More fun recipes to share in the future!

Of course, before the day of the luncheon arrived I had to think about decorations!! I love throwing a party, so I have made it a rule to buy all of my serving ware in either white or glass. Anything from cake plates to mason jars can make great party decor and it is so much easier to mix and match your pieces when they all coordinate. Because spring has finally arrived, I used flowers as my main decoration--some from the store and most from my friend Hilde's backyard. Flowers are perfect for any occasion and really inexpensive, especially if you have a garden! The best part is you can use them to brighten up your house for weeks after the party is over.

With a few other spring additions, like a watering can and some galvanized buckets, the decorations were all set and so easy to pull together.

Of course, in addition to the yummy food and decorations, there had to be drinks! None of the ladies I invited actually drink alcohol, so instead of having cocktails we used Simply Cranberry Cocktail to mix up some family friendly beverages of our own.

Simply Cranberry Cocktail is delicious all on its own, but it is also fun to mix with some of the other flavors of Simply beverages that are available. I loved it mixed with Simply Lemonade® and Simply Limeade®. We also had a lemon-lime soda and some seltzer water to choose from.

After everyone had mixed their drink, we piled our plates high and sat around the table to enjoy our food, drinks, and all of the things that we have in common. There is never an end to the conversation about raising kids, writing blogs, and balancing life when there is enough good food and drinks to sustain us!

A couple of refills, some seconds on the food, and an out of this world dessert that Hilde brought only came to an end when most of us had to leave to pick up kids from school. At the end of the afternoon I came to the conclusion that this group of ladies reminds me a lot of Simply Cranberry Cocktail--a perfect blend of sweetness and tartness.

Simply Cranberry Cocktail was the perfect accompaniment to our simply perfect lunch.
What is your favorite way to make a party or get-together at your home more festive? Tell me about it in the comments for a chance to win a $100 gift card!

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Yum! I love cranberry cocktails! I like to bring a little bit of flair to all the get togethers I have with a "signature" item. Can be a drink,dessert,side or whatever you want! Just helps to reiterate the theme of whatever event we are celebrating!

We have food allergies so I've worked out an easier way to have company over with out it being a big hassle, let them help you prepare the meal. It really is fun to get several people in the kitchen working together, to prepare the meal I planned and bought all the ingredients for. r5coat at live dot com

My favorite way to make a party at my home more festive is selecting a theme. So, the decorations, food, drink, party favor and maybe dress code too, would all follow the same theme. It’s really festive and fun!

I make a party/get together more festive at my house by having lots of food, not just a large quantity but a big variety. I also make an effort to do a special display in the center of the table. And most important, we clean like crazy for several days ahead of time!

I love throwing a themed party, everyone gets into mood, Arabian Night, Summer in the Hamptons, Breakfast at Tiffanys it doesnt matter, a theme makes everything so much more fun. :) of course good music, great friends, delicious drinks and food too ;) xx

Can't do much entertaining in the home right now because our house is sooo tiny, but we do like to have BBQs in our back yard (when things warm up more). The right music helps things be more festive and I love to put xmas lights in the trees.

I love the color that cranberries add--makes any holiday gathering festive!We don't entertain often but, when we do, there are kids included--so, we play family games. One of our favorites is Bingo. We try to make Bingo cards to match the occasion and have had lots of fun playing with friends.Thanks for the giveaway!

I think its definitely in the details! Putting as much thought into the little things is what I do to try and make things more festive...adding little unexpected touches or surprises (like the great ideas I find on here!) and it's fun too!

For me, the key to a great party is good music, a well stocked drink station, and just the right theme. I love themes. I'll have to pick up some Simply Cranberry next time I'm at the store; it sounds tasty!

I love to use flowers red ,yellow and purples to decorate for summer makes it bright and happy. also I used matching tableclothes , napkins, cups to go with these colors I do themed for holidays and use all decor to match

I like to make decorations on a theme, and have the favorite foods of my guests like NY cheesecake, or fish or ... what ever they like and do not eat as often as they'd like to eat it. karen608 at yahoo dot com

Cranberry Punch. This is the perfect drink for guests.It's super easy to make. Just mix two containers of frozen cranberry concentrate with 2- 2 ltrs.of lemon-lime soda. Then you can add a bottle of wine if you like. Then fill with ice cubes and fresh frozen cranberries. The cranberry's add that decorative touch.

I make a lot of different food being sure to include dishes I know my guests will love and a few new recipes for us all to try out. Yes, sometimes my guests are guinea pigs. And I always make sure to have a great selection of drinks to suit everyone's palette. If I can work in a theme and get a little witty with the food names, I'm a happy girl.

My favorite way to make a party or get-together at my home more festive is selecting a theme but with simple decorations. I love to prepare homemade finger food, nice dessert and drinks. Thanks for the giveaway.

I like serving the food family-style, each dish or component in a large container that is passed around the table. I've found that doing it this way sparks conversation, but also has us slowing down and enjoying the time together more.

I love pot lucks and all of my parties are pot lucks, but you can take it a step further and theme your food! Example: have a Halloween party and tell everyone to bring their favorite candy!Angie 14earth at gmail dot com

I love having bring a dish party it help everyone feel like that are a part of it and it keep me from having to cook everything and every love to show of by bring the best dish.purple_lover_04 at msn dot com

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